Committee Chairman

Derek Fisher done playing in the NBA

Jun 10, 2014

With the hiring of Derek Fisher as the new Head Coach of the New York Knicks, it is evident that his playing career has come to an end. Statistically speaking, the former Point Guard had done enough in the NBA to really be considered a Hall of Fame entry, and with this announcement, there has not been any media outlet petitioning for his inclusion. However, as we often do here at Notinhalloffame.com we ask the Hall of Fame question: Is Derek Fisher closer to Springfield than we think?

Drafted as the 24^th pick in the 1996 draft from Arkansas-Little Rock where he was the Sun Belt Player of the Year, Derek Fisher would be a part of five NBA Championships, all with the Los Angeles Lakers. Fisher would compete in 1,287 regular season games (18^th overall) and this year set the all-time mark for playoff games with 259. In regards to his stats, Fisher retires with a career average 11.8 Points per Game and a Hollinger PER Average of 11.7, which are not numbers that will likely not get him a serious look at the Hall of Fame, despite the five titles. Still, should other intangibles play a factor here?

Derek Fisher has often been described as a locker room leader and a keen student of the game. Does not the fact that Fisher was coveted as a Head Coach before he retired illustrate that fact? He was also chosen as the National Basketball Player’s Union President in 2006, and though some in that role had criticized him, his ascension to that post shows the respect that he had within the league. Should Fisher absorb half of the magic that made Phil Jackson such a dynamic leader, could we be having this conversation decades later when he ceased being a coach in the NBA.

Either way, we have a feeling that the Derek Fisher to the Basketball Hall of Fame debate could be just starting up, and we are very curious to see what else he will add to his resume.

Pat Foley and Kevin Allen enter the Hockey HOF

Jun 06, 2014

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

We have new members of the Hockey Hall of Fame! USA Today Hockey Reporter, Kevin Allen and Chicago Blackhawks play-by-play announcer, Pat Foley have been chosen today to enter the Toronto based institution.

Allen is this year’s recipient of the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award, which is given to the newspaper writer who has brought honor to the sport of Hockey. The Award was first created in 1984 and the honorees automatically receive enshrinement to the Hockey Hall of Fame. He is in his thirtieth year covering the sport and last December he received the Lester Patrick Award from the National Hockey League, which celebrated those who contributed to the growth of Hockey in the United States.

Pat Foley is this year’s Foster Hewitt Memorial Award recipient, which again was created in 1984. Foley has spent the last thirty-one years as the primary play-by-play announcer of the Chicago Blackhawks and was also used by FOX as an announcer for them in the late 1990’s.

We would like to congratulate both Kevin Allen and Pat Foley for receiving this accolade, which should be considered the pinnacle of both of their careers.

Shane Battier to wrap up his career

Jun 06, 2014

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

With the knowledge that Miami Heat player, Shane Battier will be calling it a career and joining ESPN after the NBA Finals, we thought it might be worth a look at his career to see what chance he might have for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

You might be thinking that his professional career doesn’t measure up, and though he did make a Second Team All NBA Defensive selection and two NBA Titles (and perhaps a third), he has a Points per Game Career Average under 10, and a Career PER under 15. Battier may be a respected teammate and a major locker room asset, but those are not numbers that can earn you a trip to Springfield.

Still, this Hall of Fame is not just about professional accomplishments and what a player does in College counts here. Shane Battier was a major star at Duke, where he led the Blue Devils to the NCAA Championship in 2001, and took them to the Final Four two years earlier. He won every major NCAA Player of the Year Award in 2001, including the Final Four MVP and was a three time Defensive Player of the Year in College.

That type of performance still may not earn him a trip to the Basketball Hall of Fame (though it should make him a lock for the College Hall), but is it enough to make our top one hundred? We will await your input on that one.

Gene Simmons sounds off again about the RRHOF

May 30, 2014

Published in Not in Hall of Fame News

Are we ever going to stop writing about KISS and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Seriously, it seems we have much more to write about since they have been inducted than during the entire period they were snubbed.

After being “interviewed” by TMZ, Gene Simmons, again reiterated his previous statements that Rap and Disco do not belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which though is not a sentiment shared by us at Notinhalloffame.com, is one that can be found easily across the web. What we found most interesting is that the large tonged bass player had to say about Nirvana’s induction, which coincidentally was inducted this year along with KISS.

“For me having two or three records is not enough…I respect Kurt Cobain…I love the songwriting and fire of Nirvana. Personally I would have waited fifteen to twenty years. You know who’s bigger than Nirvana? Foo Fighters. Because they’ve had a bigger impact on new bands…Why? Because they see a new an arena full of people singing “You’re my Hero””

Simmons was asked if he thought that Dave Grohl had a bigger impact on music than Kurt Cobain, to which he replied that based on longevity and the impact on the current generation that he did.

As much as we love Grohl and will certainly be ranking them very high once eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but for Simmons to deny the impact of Nirvana as a band only shows that the “Demon” was not paying attention to the musical landscape in the early 1990’s.

We are curious to hear what Simmons, and Paul Stanley will say next. We all know they will speak out again!